CHAPTER 69
I hereby appoint Hyuga Hiashi, head of the Hyuga Clan and wielder of the Byakugan, as the commander-in-chief of the Mist Shinobi front. Uchiha Qingtian shall serve as his deputy. They are to lead a 2,000-strong force and immediately advance to the eastern border of the Land of Fire to repel the advancing Mist Shinobi forces."
Hyuga Hiashi had repeatedly volunteered for the role, his expression resolute and unwavering. Seeing this, Uchiha Yue no longer hesitated. With a solemn gaze that swept across the room, he issued the order.
Naturally, to maintain both tactical stability and clan balance, Yue assigned Uchiha Qingtian—one of the younger generation's rising elite—as Hiashi's second-in-command.
"My subordinates accept the order. Thank you, Lord Hokage."
Upon receiving Yue's command, Hyuga Hiashi stepped forward decisively, his white eyes calm as ever, and gave a deep bow. It was an acknowledgment of both duty and respect, symbolizing the completion of the command structure.
"So… does anyone else wish to volunteer?"
After confirming Hiashi's appointment, Uchiha Yue once again looked around the hall and posed the question to the assembled elite.
In response, silence. Every clan head and elite Jōnin present lowered their gaze. It wasn't cowardice—they understood the implications.
To take charge of a front-line battlefield in a shinobi world war wasn't merely about leadership. It required extraordinary strength to match the battlefield's top-tier threats.
While tactical minds like those from the Nara clan could offer strategic counsel, no one could substitute for raw, personal combat ability. If a commander lacked the strength to hold their own in battle, they might be taken out in a surgical strike, causing the collapse of the entire front.
After all, this was a world where a single S-rank ninja could destroy an entire army.
With the silence thick in the air, Yue's eyes narrowed.
"Fine. Since no one wishes to step forward, I will make the appointments directly."
His voice was calm, but the disappointment underneath made the assembled shinobi freeze. Some flushed with shame, others clenched their fists.
"However," he added, "when you set foot on the battlefield, I hope none of you retreat as silently as you are doing now. Instead, fight to kill the enemy and protect Konoha—and your honor."
"Uchiha Kurotetsu, Uchiha Flint. Step forward and receive your orders."
Two elite Uchiha Jōnin moved instantly, kneeling in unison before him, their foreheads lowered in submission.
"Uchiha Kurotetsu is hereby appointed commander-in-chief of the Sand Shinobi front. He will be supported by elites from the Inuzuka and Aburame clans. Your force: 2,000 strong. Move at once to the western front to intercept the Sunagakure army."
"Uchiha Flint will take command of the Rock Shinobi front. Nara Shikaku of the famed Nara clan will serve as his strategist and deputy. You will lead the combined Ino–Shika–Chō alliance with 2,000 troops to the northern border where Iwagakure has begun its incursion."
As Yue gave the orders, both Uchiha warriors remained steady and composed. It was clear they had been prepared for this—perhaps even expecting it.
In truth, Uchiha Yue had little hope that anyone would volunteer of their own accord. The question earlier had been a calculated provocation—designed to pressure and test the resolve of Konoha's elite.
Hiashi's sudden decision to step forward was the only surprise.
Still, it was an acceptable one.
"Regarding the Cloud Shinobi front," Yue said at last, "I will personally lead the defense. Begin assembling the vanguard and logistics unit immediately."
"Yes, Lord Hokage!"
With the final words of command delivered, the entire council hall seemed to exhale. The elite of Konoha quickly stood and began dispersing to execute their respective assignments. A war council had turned into a war machine.
Time passed quickly.
As Konoha's shinobi scrambled to form battle lines and defensive networks, the enemy had already begun to move.
Because they had launched the first coordinated attack, the ninja forces from the Four Great Villages were already nearing the Land of Fire's borders.
In a concealed mountain hollow near the eastern front, the Cloud Shinobi vanguard quietly rested. Killer Bee, the Eight-Tails Jinchūriki and the commander of this raid, stood casually on a boulder while a reconnaissance shinobi delivered a report.
"Lord Killer Bee, we have spotted Konoha's forward stronghold ahead. There are thirty-two shinobi in total—three Jōnin, twelve Chūnin, and the rest Genin."
"Yo! The prey's been found, no need to play around, let's bring 'em down!"
Bee's rap-style command was half-mocking, half-deadly. With a wave of his hand, he ordered the attack to commence.
Excited whoops and bloodthirsty cheers erupted from the Cloud Shinobi, discipline giving way to aggression.
"What's that noise?"
Back at the Konoha outpost, one of the shinobi frowned and leapt to a watchtower. When his eyes widened in shock, his voice trembled with panic.
"Cloud Shinobi! Over a thousand of them! Sound the alarm and retreat immediately!"
The outpost burst into chaos. Though the Konoha shinobi had swift reflexes and loyal hearts, they were outmatched. Even elite Chūnin and Jōnin couldn't hope to halt a 1,000-strong force led by a Jinchūriki.
They had hoped to escape, perhaps pass on the intel to reinforce the front.
But they had lost the initiative.
Minutes later, thirty-two bodies lay in the dirt—faces frozen in terror. The forward base was reduced to smoldering ruins, and the Cloud Shinobi had already claimed it.
"Lord Bee, should we continue advancing toward the Fire Country's heartland?"
A grinning Cloud Jōnin approached with blood-splattered armor, eyes gleaming with excitement.
"Bagayaro, konoyaro! Stick to big bro's plan, don't go too far!"
Killer Bee adjusted his shades and barked his response, his rhyme still intact despite his irritation.
"R-right! Just gather supplies and prepare to pull back after the next move!"
The Cloud Jōnin immediately lowered his head, realizing his overexcitement.
Unlike Ōnoki of Iwagakure, who hoped to test and maybe destroy Uchiha Yue, the Cloud Village had no such ambition.
As the Raikage had said when issuing orders back in Kumogakure, the goal wasn't total war—it was to carve off a piece of the Fire Nation and reap some spoils.
Raikage A had absolute confidence in the military might of his village. If worst came to worst? He was prepared to retreat, losses or not.
After all, Raikage A feared no one—not even Uchiha Yue.
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